CD080: The July Laws

This episode examines three bills that passed Congress in July and have since become law. The first new law will give veterans quicker access to health care. The second new law is designed to provide job training to poor people, but a hidden provision will likely take us one step closer to 1984. The third new law is another glaring example of this Congress failing to do its job. Also, Jen tells you her plans for Congressional Dish’s future.

July Bills that Became Law

Allows veterans to get medical care outside the Veteran’s Administration system; they can go to any health facility that serves Medicare patients, health centers, the Defense Department, and the Indian Health Service.

How it works: Veteran notifies VA, VA puts Veteran on an electronic waiting list or authorizes their request, VA works out a payment agreement with the health care provider, VA reimburses health care provider but no more than they would for Medicare services.

Twenty percent of the funds will go towards training eligible young people who include kids between the ages of 16 and 24 who have dropped out of school, are in the juvenile detention system, are homeless, are pregnant or single parents, can’t speak English, or are disabled. Services for young adults will include tutoring, paid and unpaid internships, drug and alcohol abuse treatment, and financial literacy classes.

The job trainer providers need to be “one-stop operators”, meaning they will need to provide all the services in the program at one location. Services include eligibility verification, skill testing, job search assistance, statistic compilation, assistance with unemployment filing and student loan applications, career planning, and English language lessons.